Split Bamboo Rods

englishprof

englishprof

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Mar 6, 2009
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Have you guys checked out the rods for sale on Ebay? Some are really inexpensive. Hard to believe they're in decent shape despite what sellers say. Any experiences?
 
I have purchased 3 or 4 bamboo rods from ebay and all of them were purchased at a good price. Now I will say I trolled ebay long and hard to find them but they are there.

There are all south bend rods but that is what my budget can swing.
 
If you’re a novice at bamboo, it’s probably wise to purchase your first one from a reputable dealer. Below is a list you may find helpful. Good Luck!

http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=12640&hilit=tackle+dealers

 
Thanks Rolf. Some good stuff there.

Bruno,

A lot of the rods were South Bend. How were the conditions of the ones you purchased?

 
Every one was fishable . I got a couple of south bend 53s and a 323.
A little 6ft job that I put in the raffle at the jam. The 323 is a project and I need to rewrap the rod. I don't think I paid more than 100 for any of them.

They are fun to play around with for sure
 
Dear prof,

Keep in mind with South Bends the two digit rod models are bass rods and the three digit rod models are trout rods.

ex. a South Bend 59 is a 7 weight rod and a 359 is a 5 weight rod.

If you can find something in an 8 1/2 foot length I think you'll prefer it to a nine footer simply because it's a little lighter in hand.

If you can find a South Bend 290 with 2 tips in good shape for $ 300.00 or less they are very nice 7 1/2 foot 5 weight rods. Single tip versions should be priced around $ 200.00 if they are in good condition.

If you see any Heddon rods that interest you the ferrule size is an indicator of the line weight. 2 1/2 ferrules = 7/8 weights, 2 ferrules = 5/6 weights, and 1 1/2 ferrules equal about a 4 weight in a modern fly line.

Heddon models were all built on the same blanks and the hardware and fittings are better grades on the higher model # rods. An 8 1/2 foot 2F ferruled rod is the same blank but may be found in grade 8, 10, 17, 20, and 35. Trim and hardware will be the only difference.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
Tim,

How dare you post such informative stuff. LOL. Fantastic information. Thanks.
 
Yeah - Tim coached me a ton when i was buying the rods mentioned.

Thanks again
 
Dear prof,

Try as I might, I can't always be a jerk. Something inside keeps pulling me over to the good side when I least expect it. ;-)

I learned some things the hard way about bamboo rods and I see no good reason why others have to suffer the same fate. If I can help I'll gladly help.

There are many bamboo rods from US makers that were somewhat mass produced in the 1930's through 1950's. Shakespeare is another maker that comes to mind, most of their rods were South Bends.

Some of them probably aren't worth owning but many of them are quite fishable and well worth owning and using. They'll never be highly collectible but the fish don't seem to complain that they are being caught on a substandard rod.

With patience and perserverance you can find usable fishable bamboo on ebay for between $ 75.00 and $ 150.00 if you take your time and look carefully at the listings.

The lower end rods can give you sense of what it's like to fish with bamboo and allow you to see if bamboo is something you want to pursue without immediately getting into the $ 500.00 and up range of rods.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)

 
Tim,

Thanks again. I'm not a total novice when it comes to bamboo. I built one in the early 80's from an Orvis kit given to me for birthday or Christmas by my then wife. Loved building it and really loved fishing it. Think it was an 8', 4 weight. Anyway, it was stolen from my car in New York City when visiting two women from Germany we met in Ireland while Salmon fishing. How about that story!!!!! Sad thing about it.....it's true.
 
Check out www.codella.com. Len knows his stuff and is very willing to talk to anyone and help them.
 
This is all good stuff I always wanted to try bamboo but was scared away by the steep prices. If anyone is willing to coach me in purchases my first trout boo rod via eBay please PM. A South Bend between $75 and $150 would be perfect.
 
Littlelehigh,

Couldn't agree more. Didn't expect this to lead to such informative posts. Just never know on here. Rolf, Bruno, Tim and Greenie.....thanks. If I decide to pursue this, I'll definitely consult all of you.....if you don't mind.
 
Yeah,what's up with you guys-this was a textbook example of good manners and forum protocol.lol
 
If you want a nice rod with similar action, a new e-glass or s-glass rod can be made for @ $175 or so. The 6'5" to 7'9" blanks are especially nice IMO, light weight, nothing like the older ones from 40 years ago. Nice moderate action that gets under your skin. There are numerous small manufacturers.

Not as light weight as a graphite rod obviously, however, if you pair one with an older vintage reel, they balance out very nicely and it's really not noticeable. Their actions make casting fun.
 
I'll second what springer says, I actually went to glass from bamboo, similar action but not as heavy. I love my mcfarlands and Paddocks, but I also have some vintage glass that are wonderful casting tools, my cortlands and phillipson are awesome!

along with southbends, someother good bamboo values can be montagues, heddons. Don't look for sport kings, I think those are the ones shakey likes and he'll chase you with his guitar if you buy one out from under him!
I've redone quite a few older rods, amazing what fine looking rods can be hiding under frazzled wraps and peeling varnish, so don't always let looks scare you away. if the rod is straight and solid, the cosmetics can be dealt with.
 
funny,but true,haha!

if you really have the patience you can do well on the bay.sometimes that means putting in long hours of finding rods that are labeled wrong.

for example,my first decent fishable bamboo rod was labeled as telescopic,even though it was not a telescopic rod.i guess everybody else did not study the pics well enough.

i don't want to give away all my bamboo search secrets but i'll give a reel example.

i collect eagle claw medallion reels.the first two i bought were about four dollars apiece,i think,because eagle and claw were merged into one word,eagleclaw.

good luck,but also think of my wife's sage advice."you seek out ten forty dollar rods,but you could buy one four hundred dollar rod and be happy with it."she's brilliant like that.
 
I've read some of the responses and I have just one thing to say.

Where the hell were you Tim when I was getting into vintage Bamboo? ;-)

I agree with what Tim said. I've also had pretty good luck on Ebay. Everything was as advertised with the exception of one (cracked ferrule) and the seller made good on it. But you have to be careful and weed out the obvious deceptive ones.

The best advice is ASK QUESTIONS!

 
My advice for buying a split cane rod is to know the exact taper you which to fish with before buying.

Bamboo is just another material. It is a natural material and it can be beautiful. It has some other properties that make it quite a bit different than the man made materials used to make rods.

The material a rod is made out of has much less to do with how it reacts in your hand than how that material is shaped.

 
I was checking out different South Bend rods last nite because they seem the most common and priced less than 1 dirty. 2 tips is a must for me but most item descriptions are so vague I have no idea what weight I am looking at. 9' rods for about $70 seems the most common including shipping. How can I tell what I'm looking at?
 
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